China taxi passenger killer sentenced to death

he was sentenced to death for killing his wife and a neighbour and robbing, sexually assaulting and murdering eight woman passengers.

A court in south China has sentenced a motorcycle-taxi driver to death for killing his wife and a neighbour and robbing, sexually assaulting and murdering eight woman passengers, state media said on Tuesday.

Zhang Youtian, 39, once jailed for eight years for human trafficking, killed the passengers, aged between 17 and 40, over two years in Heyuan in Guangdong province, the Guangzhou Daily said.

Most of the victims were migrant female workers looking for a cheap and quick ride home, it said, adding that a pregnant woman was among his victims.

Zhang was arrested in February last year and sentenced to death on Monday, the newspaper said.

In November, a court in northeastern China sentenced a laid-off factory manager to death for robbing, killing and dismembering seven dancers.

A man was executed in December by a court in northwestern Shaanxi province for the grisly killing of 10 people in a Taoist temple, including the abbot.